Gypsum-based Silica Gel Humidity-controlling Composite Materials:Preparation,Characterization,and Performance

Gypsum was used as substrate,and silica gel was mixed into substrate at a certain mass ratio to prepare humidity-controlling composites;moreover,the moisture absorption and desorption properties of gypsum-based composites were compared with adding different silica gel particle size and proportion.The morphological characteristics,the isothermal equilibrium moisture content curve,moisture absorption and desorption rate,moisture absorption and desorption stability,and humidity-conditioning performance were tested and analyzed.The experimental results show that,compared with pure-gypsum,the surface structure of the gypsum-based composites is relatively loose,the quantity,density and aperture of the pores in the structure increase.The absorption and desorption capacity increase along with the increase of silica gel particle size and silica gel proportion.When 3 mm silica gel particle size is added with a mass ratio of 40%,the maximum equilibrium moisture content of humidity-controlling composites is 0.161 g/g at 98% relative humidity(RH),3.22 times that of pure-gypsum.The moisture absorption and desorption rates are increased,the equilibrium moisture absorption and desorption rates are 2.68 times and 1.61 times that of pure-gypsum at 58.5% RH,respectively.The gypsum-based composites have a good stability,which has better timely response to dynamic humidity changes and can effectively regulate indoor humidity under natural conditions.

Physical and Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Composite Materials Based on Raw Earth and Crushed Palm Leaf Fibers (Borassus aethiopum)

The objective of this study is to seek solutions to reduce the impact of buildings on climate change and to promote the use of local bio-sourced or geo-sourced materials for sustainable construction. Different samples of raw earth from 3 sites were taken in the commune of Mlomp. Geotechnical tests showed that the raw earth samples from sites 2 and 3 have more clay fraction while site 1 contains more sand. The fact of integrating fibers from crushed palm leaves (Borassus aethiopum) (2%, 4% and 6%) into the 3 raw earth samples reduced the mechanical resistance to compression and traction of the 3 raw earths. The experimental results of thermal tests on samples of earth mixtures with crushed Palma leaf fibers show a decrease in thermal conductivity as well as thermal effusivity as the percentages increase (2%, 4% and 6%) of fibers in raw earth for the 3 sites. This shows that this renewable composite material can help improve the thermal insulation of building envelopes.

Exploration on the Optimization Strategy for the Layup of Composite Material Pressure Vessels Based on Advanced Algorithms

This study aims to explore the influence of the laying angle on the pressure shell structure made of composite materials under the condition of a fixed shape. By using a composite material composed of a mixture of T800 carbon fiber and AG80 epoxy resin to design pressure vessels, this material combination can significantly improve the interlaminar shear strength and heat resistance. The article elaborates on the basic concepts and failure criteria of composite materials, such as the maximum stress criterion, the maximum strain criterion, the Tsai-Hill criterion, etc. With the help of the APDL parametric modeling language, the arc-shaped, parabolic, elliptical, and fitting curve-shaped pressure vessel models are accurately constructed, and the material property settings and mesh division are completed. Subsequently, APDL is used for static analysis, and the genetic algorithm toolbox built into Matlab is combined to carry out optimization calculations to determine the optimal laying angle. The research results show that the equivalent stress corresponding to the optimal laying angle of the arc-shaped pressure vessel is 5.3685e+08 Pa, the elliptical one is 5.1969e+08 Pa, the parabolic one is 5.8692e+08 Pa, and the fitting curve-shaped one is 5.36862e+08 Pa. Among them, the stress distribution of the fitting curve-shaped pressure vessel is relatively more uniform, with a deformation of 0.568E−03 m, a minimum equivalent stress value of 0.261E+09 Pa, a maximum equivalent stress value of 0.537E+09 Pa, and a ratio of 0.48, which conforms to the equivalent stress criterion. In addition, the fitting curve of this model can adapt to various models and has higher practical value. However, the stress distribution of the elliptical and parabolic pressure vessels is uneven, and their applicability is poor. In the future, further exploration can be conducted on the application of the fitting curve model in composite materials to optimize the design of pressure vessels. This study provides important theoretical support and practical guidance for the design of composite material pressure vessels.

Research Progress of Carbon-Silicone Composite Materials

Silicone is a kind of polymer material with high cross-linked structure,which is com-posed by Si-O-Si main chain.Due to the special molecular chain structure,silicone mate-rials are characterized by oxidation resistance,aging resistance,high and low temperature resistance and chemical corrosion resistance.Moreover,silicone materials have process-able properties,simple forming process,good mechanical property,non-toxic and pollution-free.Therefore,silicone has been widely concerned by researchers at home and abroad.In this paper,the main research progress and application directions of carbon-silicone composite at home and abroad in recent years are reviewed.

Enhanced microwave absorption property of silver decorated biomass ordered porous carbon composite materials with frequency selective surface incorporation

Porous carbon(PC)is a promising electromagnetic(EM)wave absorbing material thanks to its light weight,large specific surface area as well as good dissipating capacity.To further improve its microwave absorbing performance,silver coated porous carbon(Ag@PC)is synthesized by one-step hydro-thermal synthesis process making use of fir as a biomass formwork.Phase compositions,morphological structure,and microwave absorption capability of the Ag@PC has been explored.Research results show that the metallic Ag was successfully reduced and the particles are evenly distributed inward the pores of the carbon formwork,which accelerates graphitization process of the amorphous carbon.The Ag@PC composite without adding polyvinyl pyrrolidone(PVP)exhibits higher dielectric constant and better EM wave dissipating capability.This is because the larger particles of Ag give rise to higher electric conductivity.After combing with frequency selective surface(FSS),the EM wave absorbing performance is further improved and the frequency region below-10 d B is located in8.20-11.75 GHz,and the minimal reflection loss value is-22.5 dB.This work indicates that incorporating metallic Ag particles and FSS provides a valid way to strengthen EM wave absorbing capacity of PC material.

A strategy for lightweight designing of a railway vehicle car body including composite material and dynamic structural optimization

Rolling stock manufacturers are finding structural solutions to reduce power required by the vehicles,and the lightweight design of the car body represents a possible solution.Optimization processes and innovative materials can be combined in order to achieve this goal.In this framework,we propose the redesign and optimization process of the car body roof for a light rail vehicle,introducing a sandwich structure.Bonded joint was used as a fastening system.The project was carried out on a single car of a modern tram platform.This preliminary numerical work was developed in two main steps:redesign of the car body structure and optimization of the innovated system.Objective of the process was the mass reduction of the whole metallic structure,while the constraint condition was imposed on the first frequency of vibration of the system.The effect of introducing a sandwich panel within the roof assembly was evaluated,focusing on the mechanical and dynamic performances of the whole car body.A mass saving of 63%on the optimized components was achieved,corresponding to a 7.6%if compared to the complete car body shell.In addition,a positive increasing of 17.7%on the first frequency of vibration was observed.Encouraging results have been achieved in terms of weight reduction and mechanical behaviour of the innovated car body.

Deformation Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Ti/Al Bimetallic Composite Materials Fabricated by Wire Plus Arc Additive Manufacturing

We focused on Ti/Al composite materials fabricated by wire and arc addictive manufacturing,and the microstructure and interface characteristics of them before and after hot compression deformation were compared.After compression deformation,allαstructures of titanium were compacted with the emergence of Widmanstatten structures.Coarsened coloniesαof titanium were elongated and waved along the original growth direction,resulting in anisotropy of grains.Pores and Ti/Al intermetallic compounds of aluminum are significantly decreased after hot compression.Meanwhile,a good bonding interface between titanium and aluminum is obtained after hot compression,and the element diffusion is more intense.In addition,the mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of Ti/Al composite material with different clad ratio that is defined as the ratio of the thickness of titanium to that of the Ti/Al composite material are investigated by uniaxial tensile test.The experimental results show that the ultimate tensile strength of Ti/Al composite material is between that of single deposited titanium and aluminum,while the elongation of Ti/Al composite material with low clad ratio is lower than that of single aluminum due to the metallurgical reaction.As the clad ratio increases,the two component layers are harder to separate during deformation,which is resulted from the decrease of the inward contraction stress of three-dimensional stress caused by necking of aluminum.This work may promote the engineering application of Ti/Al bimetallic structures.

Influence of Some Plant Fibers on the Mechanical Performance of Composite Materials

This work focused on the search for biobased materials capable of being used in road techniques as soil inclusions, and on studying the influence of their incorporation on the characteristic parameters of pavement layers. To this end, pineapple, cyperus and imperata plant fibers, due to their endemic availability, were used as reinforcement on sourced materials, notably bar soil, lateritic gravel and silty sand. Complete identification and mechanical tests (Proctor and CBR) were carried out on materials in their natural state (soil) and on composite materials (soil + plant fibers) in the laboratory to determine their classification in road geotechnics, their compaction parameters and their mechanical behavior. Firstly, the various types of 2.5 cm long fibers were incorporated into the different types of soil at mass contents of 1% and 2%. This part of the study showed that the pineapple fiber composite incorporated into class A2 bar soil offered the best results, with a 38% gain in CBR index compared with the natural soil. Pineapple fibers incorporated at 1% in lateritic gravel raise the CBR value of the reinforced soil to 10% of the CBR value of the natural soil and to 7% for silty sand.

The impact of the new composite material technology on the performance of the tennis rackets

With the continues improving of people＇s living standards, more and more people work out in all kinds of sports fields beyond the busy work. On the other hand, the development of the modem competitive sports also requires that the sports experts should not only strive for the scientific training, but should also pay much attention on the improvement and development of the sports equipment at the same time, which makes the sports equipment market have achieved unprecedented prosperity. This paper introduces the application of the fiber reinforced composite materials in the field of sports equipment, which is described mainly from the advantages of the fiber reinforced composite materials used in sports equipment areas, and from the aspects of the principles of material selection, the product varieties, the application examples and the status.

Wear behavior of SiC/PyC composite materials prepared by electromagnetic-field-assisted CVI

Silicon carbide/pyrolytic carbon (SiC/PyC) composite materials with excellent performance of self-lubrication and wear resistance were prepared on SiC substrates by electromagnetic-field-assisted chemical vapor infiltration (CVI). The composition and microstructure of the SiC/PyC materials were investigated in detail by XRD, SEM and EDS, etc. The effects of the deposition temperature on the section features and wear resistance of the SiC/PyC were studied. The results show that the PyC layers were deposited onto SiC substrates spontaneously at a lower deposition temperature. The SiC substrates deposited with PyC can significantly reduce the wear rate of the self-dual composite materials under dry sliding condition. The wear tests suggest that the SiC/PyC composite materials own a better wear resistance property when the deposition temperature is 800 °C, and the wear rate is about 64.6% of that without the deposition of PyC.

Electrochemical performance of LiFePO_(4)-Li_(3)V_(2)(PO_4)_3 composite material prepared by solid-hydrothermal method

LiFePO4-Li3V2（PO4）3 composites were synthesized by solid-hydrothermal method and by ball milling,respectively.The electrochemical performance of the solid-hydrothermally obtained materials（C-LFVP） was significantly improved compared with LiFePO4（LFP） and Li3V2（PO4）3（LVP）,and it was also much better than that of the ball-milled LiFePO4-Li3V2（PO4）3（P-LFVP）.C-LFVP and P-LFVP both had four REDOX peaks（voltage plateaus）,which coincided with that of LFP and LVP.Some new trace substances were found in C-LFVP which had more perfect morphology,this was responsible for the better electrochemical performance of C-LFVP than P-LFVP.

Ballistic impact simulation of Kevlar-129 fiber reinforced composite material

The penetration resistance of Kevlar-129 fiber reinforced composite materials was investigated with AUTODYN software.The ballistic limits of the fragment that pierced 6kinds of target plates were obtained by finite element simulation when the 10 g fragment simulation projectile（FSP）impacting to the target plates of different thickness values of 8,10,12,14,16 and 18mm with appropriate velocity,respectively,and the influences of thickness on the ballistic limits and the specific energy absorption were analyzed.The results show that the ballistic limit of Kevlar-129 fiber reinforced composite plates presents linear growth with the increase of the target thickness in the range from 8to 18 mm.The specific energy absorption of plates presents approximately linear growth,but there is slightly slow growth in the range from 10 to 16mm of the target thickness.It also can be found that the influences of plate thickness and surface density on the varying pattern of specific energy absorption are almost the same.Therefore,both of them can be used to characterize the variation of specific energy absorption under the impact of the FSP fragment.

A two-scale method for identifying mechanical parameters of composite materials with periodic configuration

In this paper, a two-scale method （TSM） is presented for identifying the mechanics parameters such as stiffness and strength of composite materials with small periodic configuration. Firstly, a formulation is briefly given for two-scale analysis （TSA） of the composite materials. And then a two-scale computation formulation of strains and stresses is developed by displacement solution with orthotropic material coefficients for three kinds of such composites structures, i.e., the tension column with a square cross section, the bending cantilever with a rectangular cross section and the torsion column with a circle cross section. The strength formulas for the three kinds of structures are derived and the TSM procedure is discussed. Finally the numerical results of stiffness and strength are presented and compared with experimental data. It shows that the TSM method in this paper is feasible and valid for predicting both the stiffness and the strength of the composite materials with periodic configuration.

Far Infrared Radiation Property of Rare Earth Mneral Composite Materials

Rare earth mineral composite materials were prepared using rare earths and natural far-infrared mineral materials . The influences of rare earth additive content and heat treatment temperature on the far infrared radiance were studied. The results show that the far infrared radiance of rare earth mineral composite materials is 0.93 when the rare earth additive content is 6% and heat treatment temperature is 750℃.

A novel implementation algorithm of asymptotic homogenization for predicting the effective coefficient of thermal expansion of periodic composite materials

Asymptotic homogenization (AH) is a general method for predicting the effective coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of periodic composites. It has a rigorous mathematical foundation and can give an accurate solution if the macrostructure is large enough to comprise an infinite number of unit cells. In this paper, a novel implementation algorithm of asymptotic homogenization (NIAH) is developed to calculate the effective CTE of periodic composite materials. Compared with the previous implementation of AH, there are two obvious advantages. One is its implementation as simple as representative volume element (RVE). The new algorithm can be executed easily using commercial finite element analysis (FEA) software as a black box. The detailed process of the new implementation of AH has been provided. The other is that NIAH can simultaneously use more than one element type to discretize a unit cell, which can save much computational cost in predicting the CTE of a complex structure. Several examples are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new implementation. This work is expected to greatly promote the widespread use of AH in predicting the CTE of periodic composite materials.

Structural Characterization and Property Study on the Activated Alumina-activated Carbon Composite Material

AlCl3,NH3·H2O,HNO3 and activated carbon were used as raw materials to prepare one new type of activated alumina-activated carbon composite material.The influence of heat treatment conditions on the structure and property of this material was discussed;The microstructures of the composite material were characterized by XRD,SEM,BET techniques;and its formaldehyde adsorption characteristic was also tested.The results showed that the optimal heat treatment temperature of the activated alumina-activated carbon composite material was 450 ℃,iodine adsorption value was 441.40 mg/g,compressive strength was 44 N,specific surface area was 360.07 m2/g,average pore size was 2.91 nm,and pore volume was 0.26 m3/g.According to the BET pore size distribution diagram,the composite material has dual-pore size distribution structure,the micro-pore distributes in the range of 0.6-1.7 nm,and the meso-pore in the range of 3.0-8.0 nm.The formaldehyde adsorption effect of the activated alumina-activated carbon composite material was excellent,much better than that of the pure activated carbon or activated alumina,and its saturated adsorption capacity was 284.19 mg/g.

The New Technology of Composite Materials Repairing by Light Wave

The repairing of damaged composite materials becomes a hot research subject in the late 1990s.In this paper a new technology of repairing composite materials is given on the basis of our previous research.The light wave of 675nm transmitted by optical fiber is used as repairing light source,special repairable adhesive which can be stimulated by the light is adopted.By comparing the stiffness of the composite material before and after being damaged,it can be concluded that the mechanical property will not be changed with the feasible repairing technology.

Intercalation Assembly, Characterization and Luminescent Properties of Novel Supramolecular Composite Materials, Tb(Ⅲ) Complex with Tetrapodal Ligand-Montmorillonite

Two kinds of Tb（ Ⅲ ） complexes with tetrapodal ligand, [TbL（NO3）]^3＋ and [TbL]^3＋ （L： 1,1, 1＇, 1＇-tera （ 2-pyridinecarboxylester ）-di （ trimethylpropane）） were intercalated into the interlayer space of montmorillonite （MT） by ion exchange and coordination reaction of L with the Tb^3＋ ion existing in the interlayer space of Tb-MT respectively. The obtained luminescent supramolecular composite materials, [ TbL （NO3） ]^2＋-MT and [TbL]^3＋-MT were characterized by elemental analysis, XRD, FT-IR, UV-vis and thermal analysis. At the same time, the luminescent properties of the materials were also studied. The results show that the intercalated materials with regular layered structure, good thermal stability and the interlayer spacing （d001） approximates to the size of the complex ions which are located in the interlayer space of MT in the form of a monolayer.

Damage Detection of Composite Material Intelligent Structure with a New Photoelectric System

A kind of photoelectric system that is suitable to measuring and to testing the damage of the composite material intelligent structure was presented. It can measure the degree of damage of the composite intelligent structure and it also can tell us the damage position in the structure. This system consists of two parts ： software and hardware. Experiments of the damage detection and the analysis of the composite material structure with the photoelectric system were performed, and a series of damage detection experiments was conducted. The results prove that the performance of the system is well and the effects of the measure and test are evident. Through all the experiments, the damage detection technology and test system are approved to be real-time, effective and reliable in the damage detection of the composite intelligent structure.

Preparation and Characterization of Rare Earth Composite Materials Radiating Far Infrared for Activating Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Rare earth composite materials radiating far-infrared rays were prepared according to far infrared absorption spectrum of main component in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The composite materials were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transformed infrared spectra(FTIR). The results show that after the composite materials were calcined at 873 K for 4 h, FTIR spectra of rare earth composite materials display two new peaks at 1336 and 2926 cm-1 available for activating LPG.